Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Warm Racing- Cool Parties- Hot Music
(Tortola, BVI)- The BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival, the regatta
known for “warm water and hot racing”, is now upping the ante with its
“cool parties”. Join them April 3rd to 6th in the Regatta Village and
dance in the sands of the beach at Nanny Cay to the sounds of different
music genres melding with the warm breezes and the swaying palms. Join
hundreds of local sailors, family and friends as you relax after a day
of world-class racing around the green islands of the BVI. Reward
yourself with an ice-cold Corona or toast a successful maneuver with a
frosty flute of Veuve Clicquot as you watch the sun sink into the
turquoise waters.

The fun starts with a Mount Gay Welcome Party on Thursday evening.
Before the band begins, an Aerial Performer will dance above the sands
as Aragorn’s Fireballs light the night sky. Then the strains of music
from Final Faze will fill the village.

Friday, after a full day of some of the best racing in the Caribbean,
the boats will be welcomed back to Nanny Cay by the steel pan band,
Shooting Stars. That should get everyone into the Caribbean groove and
start their night under the stars. Absolut will present the Singing
Chef, Al Broderick, and the Last Resort Band.

Saturday
will be another perfect race day. The evening will commence with the
always-popular swimwear fashion show. This will showcase the designs of
Kristin Frazer, born and raised on the beautiful island of Tortola. Her
“Trèfle” brand celebrates the beauty of a global culture and shows
luxury swimwear for men, women and children. Then spend the night with
internationally acclaimed artist, Quito and the Edge known as the “heart
and soul of the BVI” and enjoy Quito’s unique spin on reggae music.

Sunday wraps up the racing and allows participants to celebrate after
three days of fun, but competitive sailing. The Moko Jumbies will dance
and play with the young (and young at heart), as visitors and
participants gather for the award ceremony. The sailors will enjoy the
final night entertainment by Showtime presented by Heineken. Join the
Heineken Team as they provide special activities under the Heineken tent
in the village.

With all this, and more, going on, why would you want to be anywhere
else? Go to Nanny Cay and enjoy the warm water, hot racing and cool
parties! Can’t imagine why anyone experiencing one of the coldest
winters on record in the northern hemisphere would rather be driving a
boat than a desk at this moment!

The 43rd edition of “the BVI” has a truly international cast
participating in the fleet of 87 yachts. There are competitors from all
over the world including: Australia, Antigua, Canada, Curacao, Germany,
Great Britain, Holland, Monaco, Puerto Rico, Russia, St.Lucia,
St.Maarten, Switzerland, USA and the US Virgin Islands.

Uniquely,
the BVI Spring Regatta race course takes place in the Atlantic Ocean,
the Sir Francis Drake Channel and the Caribbean Sea. “The regatta is
really spoiled for choices when it comes to course design,” commented
Bob Phillips, Chairman of the BVI Spring Regatta. “We can provide short
sharp windward leeward for one-design and race tracks for performance
cruisers and production yachts. The BVI Spring Regatta really can
provide racing that suits just about anybody, all in an outstanding
location.”

Joining the fleet are ten J’s covering the spectrum of the fleets, many
of whom will have seen great sailing (and practice) at the previous St
Thomas Regatta. The CSA Spinnaker Racing class has 5 J’s in a fleet of
18 boats. Leading the charge should be Rick Wesslund’s J/122 EL OCASO,
followed by Steve McManus J/120 SUNSET CHILD (ex- El OCASO), Jordan
Mindich’s J/105 SOLSTICE, Robert Armstrong’s J/100 BAD GIRL and Paul
Davis’s J/27 MAGNIFICENT 7. How they all stack up on a handicap basis
will be an interesting story in contrasts based on the type of courses
and wind/ sea conditions.